The U.S. capital region recently launched a Chinese-language version of its tourism website, while Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, on a visit to China last week, preached the attractions of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Chesapeake Bay.

Canadian mayors from Calgary and Ottawa recently flew to Beijing to similarly promote their respective cities.

And Japan, still reeling from reduced tourism in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, is turning to China to help with its recovery, actively courting Chinese visitors. For now, China is obliging — at least among diplomatic circles. In a meeting last week organized by the Japan Tourism Agency, the director of China National Tourism Administration said that China would send tourist groups to Japan and encourage them to visit all parts except the areas worst-hit by the disaster.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Travel Association last month proposed a plan to relax the visa system to allow for more tourists from emerging countries, including China. Steve Sadove, chief executive of luxury retailer Saks Inc., concurred, saying the U.S. is losing out on luxury sales because shopping tourists are heading to cities outside of the U.S. that have fewer visa restrictions instead of New York.

Ireland, on the other hand, has waived its visa altogether for tourists from China, parts of the Middle East (wealthy Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are among the short list), and other emerging Asian countries — as long as they have secured a visa from the U.K.

But some nations, apparently, just aren’t ready for the influx of Chinese visitors. At a recent industry conference in Queenstown, New Zealand, a Chinese travel expert told New Zealand’s 3 News the country had to be more accommodating to Chinese travelers. One suggestion: Offering Chinese breakfasts, which, as we’ve reported before here on Scene, is a big deal to Chinese tourists.